Event

One of the exciting current topics in astronomy is the search for Earth 2.0, aka an analog to Earth that resides outside of our Solar System. More broadly, the search for Earth 2.0 fits within the search for planets outside of the Solar System whose fundamental properties (size, mass, incidence of radiation from its host star) could accomodate conditions that we think are necessary for Earth-like life to survive. Such planets are said to reside in the "habitable zones" around their parent star. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the search for habitable planets. I will highlight some efforts underway at OU to conduct these searches, including those that use the department's access to the Apache Point Observatory 3.5m telescope.